a: It would be a good idea for you to change your stock steel wheels and tyres to alloy wheels and tubeless tyres as you will find the ride and handling of the car to be much better than before. But make sure that the alloy wheels are lighter in weight as compared to the stock steel wheels. You must approach a competent tyre shop with regard to this.

Go manza

q: I want to buy my first car within a Rs 6 lakh budget and have zeroed in on the Tata Manza Aura ABS Saffire among saloons and the Maruti Ritz in hatchbacks. Nevertheless, as I like saloons, I am keen on the Manza. My monthly mileage will be around 300km, mostly a commute to office and back. Once a year, I will go on a 1600km round trip. Between the petrol and diesel versions, which one should I go for?

S. K. Giri

a: The Manza is a good car, especially since you like saloons. It is a handsome, large saloon which comes packed with lots of features and is exceptionally comfortable. Though your monthly commute is not much, we still feel you should go for a diesel as it will have a much better resale value than the petrol. Hence, the premium you pay for a diesel at the time of purchase could be recovered when its time to sell the car a few years down the line.

Auto factor

q: I am keen to buy a small or medium-sized car equipped with an automatic transmission. I want only an automatic as I drive daily through very congested traffic. Which car do you suggest?

Farazani Ahmad

a: There is very little choice available in the small car automatic gearbox segment as there isnt much demand for them. You are one of the few people who specifically want one. The only options are from Hyundai  you can either go for the i10 automatic, if you are on a budget, or the i20 auto which is a lovely car. But the only problem is that the car costs upwards of Rs 8 lakh. However, if you want to splurge and have a budget that crosses Rs 10 lakh, then go for the Honda City which is the best mid-size automatic on Indian roads today.